When I was 6 years old I got to fly on the America N10A, based near my home in Houston.. i sat by the pilot.. my dad was behind me.. awesome experience.. funny story about how I got the ride... we lived in the path the blimp took on it's nightly advertising flights when it wasn't on tour covering sporting events... i loved going outside and waiting to see it fly over.. so every day i would call the Blimp Base and ask what time it would be flying.. after a while they got to know me and one day I happen to get their PR guy when i called.. he said to put my dad on the phone and he would arrange a ride for us... so i lay the phone down and go tell my dad, who was reading the paper in his easy chair, the guy at the blimp base wants to talk to him and give us a ride.. he said "sure he is, go play, i'm busy".. blowing me off.. i said no, he really is.. so after about 4 times telling my dad it was for real.. he got on the phone and made arrangements.. took a couple weeks to make it happen due to winds.. but in May 1975 we got to go on that ride.. talk about a fun time... my dad, who was also a private pilot, enjoyed it as much as I did.. after that, my dad who knew the owner well at Clayton Tire company, the Goodyear dealer where he bought his tires... told him about our ride and how much we liked it.. he said he would get us another ride someday.. the second ride never happened, but i cherish my memory of the time I rode in the Goodyear Blimp..
I hear ya brother, I use to look forward of seeing the blimp base while heading out of tow north on i45. If I was lucky we wold actually see her out side.
What a nice wholesome story. It brought a smile to my face. Does you channel post any positive interactions you have with government officials? I appreciate you're trying to get clicks for negative interaction, but I'm curious what the ratio of negative vs. positive interaction is. I don't have a Facebook so I couldn't check if you address that. Thanks
@@Shreaderbrahhh hello, i'm glad you liked my story... i haven't posted anything recently on my channel... i started it intending to go ouy and make videos regularly... then had surgery and haven't got back out... its not big enough to be monetized, so i receive no money from youtube... i certainly will post positive as well as negative encounters.. the 1st amendment auditor community has splintered into several camps over the last couple years... i don't necessarily agree with many of them... i think they do more harm than good... myself, im looking for positive change, not clicks... government needs to appreciate and care more about how the general public is treated.. and the law applied evenly to all... i miss opportunities all the time to get good footage,it just hasn't been my priority... thanks for commenting...
Leith a name like spirit of America why destroy her leave it as a monument. This makes me sad I've always wanted to live in America and this is a sad moment of a American icon going
Just watched this about 10 mins ago. Did not realize the retirement had taken place. What timing to watch this as someone else is watching, a small moment of history in this big world. A great video this is done very well and most respectfully presented.
I moved to Houston in 1987 and lived right off I45, where the blimp base was, I remember the first time I came upon the blimp as it was landing and the traffic was at a standstill as people stopped on the freeway to watch it land, I had never seen anything like it, it was amazing.
By far one of the best documentaries I've ever seen..very very fascinating to have seen everything involved in the operation of such an American icon..so great to watch..great job on the ending...the music selection was great to it.
What an incredible ship, crew and story! I remember the first time I saw the Goodyear blimp flying low above my neighborhood south of San Francisco in the mid-80's. It was definitely an important part of aviation history.
Grew up in houston. one night, there was what seemed an earthquake - low rumble, everything shaking. Ran outside, looked up... and there was a low-flying goodyear blimp roaring overhead. Loved seeing the hangar, too. Sad it's gone, as are the blimps.
@@billauth1419 I got there in 1989 after they took the CH-53s and made them into HMT-302 and left the CH-46s as HMT-301. I was the Ops Chief and the squadron history was a fuddle. One weird thing that I encountered as Ops Chief was watching our Group CO sit down in my office and turn white as a sheet. He had just come back off a training hop and asked me to pull out his #1 log book and look up a certain date. When I checked his log the entry was in red (signifying a crash) and it showed that had just flown the same CH-46 that he crashed in Vietnam in 1969.
As a kid I experienced a blimp landing in the late 70's. This was an up and close experience. No invitation. I remember it exactly as depicted in this video. The crew was friendly. We were just two kids playing in a huge unused land area on the other side of the back yard fence.
I live ten minutes away from the Wingfoot three hangar in Suffield Ohio and had no idea it wasn't the same blimp(s) we've been so accustomed to seeing all our lives. Quite a few days here in Akron, we will see two in the air. If we have Wingfoot three, then what is the other one? EDITED: I was just at Wingfoot lake park in Suffield, and we have Wingfoot two and not three, but according to wikipedia, we're supposed to have Wingfoot Three permanently docked out there.
I miss the GZ 19 Mayflower and the skyships 500 and 600. I hope airships don't become extinct from the skies. I haven't seen any airships on the East coast for over 25 years now. Skies look awfully lonely and empty. Please save them. At least I have 15 or more model airships hanging from my ceiling. At least that's something.
Goodyear-Zeppelin built the USS Akron and USS Macon US Navy airships in the early 1930’s. They were only 18 feet shorter than the largest airship ever built. the German Zeppelin, Hindenburg. The US Navy airships were 785 feet long, 113 feet in diameter and had an internal gas volume of 6.5 million cuft of helium. I’m not sure why Goodyear had to turn to Zeppelin-NT for the design and manufacture of a semi-rigid airship. Goodyear and Goodyear alone has kept and improved LTA technology right up until 2015. So the question is, if Goodyear planned to cease blimp construction and wanted to fly semi-rigids instead, why didn’t they design and build it?
Because Lockheed Martin owns all the designs and technology for the blimp, and they decided they no longer wanted to manufacture or maintain the air operating certificate. That left GY with either the Lightship group or Zeppelin. Manufacturing your own airship is not cheap
I was station at MCAS Tustin when I heard the Goodyear blimp was in the hanger. I ran over to the hanger and when I I entered I was expecting this giant blimp in front of me. At first I though the guys lies till I looked way down the hanger and saw the blimp plus a few rigs parked in a corner. At first I thought that this is tiny! But then I realized how big our hanger was it was designed for a zeppelin. Cool thing after they worked on it the gave some people rides man talk about memories.
I always thought that blimps were really cool and I had always wanted to get up close to one. Years ago I was able to join the restoration team that was restoring the Goodyear K Ship K-28 gondola at NEAM. K-28 is a really interesting subject because she happened to be bought back from the Navy after WWII and pioneered the use of the lighted display board now used on all other Goodyear blimps up to now. When she was converted over to display ship standard after the war she was renamed “Puritan.”
unfortunately those goodyear blimps weren't top notch when they came out. They kinda threw alot of innovations that the NT is implementing now out the window, like using the engines like thrusters for better handling.
I get to see this blimp flying often while at work in the later afternoon, i remember the first time I saw it it was coming right over our warehouse. I was pulling out of the parking lot after my shift and just seen a huge floating thing above and at first thought "holy shit a UFO!" I pulled out my phone's camera and as soon as I snapped the pic I just felt really stupid realizing it was just this blimp. Lol always neat to see it float by though.
If not for Goodyear I probably would not have been born. My grandfather was an engineer at the tire plant in Akron, Ohio all his life until he retired back when there still had company pensions. My Grandmother worked there during WWII working on the blimps. My uncle worked there until he hurt his back. My Dad said he refused to work in a sweatshop. He moved to Southern California where he met my Mother. Anytime we went anywhere on the freeway I would get exited when the blimp was out where I could see it. Sad to see blimps not being made by Goodyear anymore. Almost as sad as when Goodyear was the victim of a hostel takeover by the Loral Corporation in 1987.
The all silver livery is still the best looking airship for me. N2A Europa over here in the UK through the 70's, I used to skip school when I knew it was due to hit our skies, couldn't bare to miss out on seeing it. I want to love the new model but unfortunately, they made it so ugly....that gondola positioning is awful.
Reminiscent of my three years in Afghanistan (2011 - '14) operating our tethered ship we used for 24/7 surveillance, watching for bad guys doing bad things. Our PTDS ship had plenty of similarities, but was a bit smaller, and specifically purposed for wartime application with an array of various electronic equipment onboard.
I’ve always been fascinated by the airships. I’ve tried to visit the Goodyear blimps when the came to Ft Worth Alliance and even earlier in GPT. As far as the competitors, there was a Pink Floyd blimp promoting their tour. It had engine problems and had to circle overhead while the ground crew set up. I never saw that one again.
I used to see the blimp flying when I was a kid growing up in Southern California. Every Christmas, the blimp would light up with a Christmas greeting, dancing light displays, and signify that the season had changed. I used to hear the droning of the engines, slowly crossing the sky. Sometimes, I'd look straight up, and I could see the blimp directly overhead. The lights on both sides spelled out "Goodyear", or "Seasons Greetings". The 405 freeway passed right next to the Carson "Goodyear Operations" field. When the blimp would take off or land, some people would stop their cars in the emergency lane of the freeway to watch the spectacle. Then, the CHP would swoop in and give them a ticket. I knew this guy who rammed his r/c airplane into the blimp during a landing. He did it on purpose, because he was an idiot. He was caught, and was on the 6:00 news. The blimp got punctured, and was grounded for a while. That was around 1990.
Kind of strange seeing the old Tustin hangers. I worked in there when I was in the Marines fixing helicopters. In 1984 for the LA Olympics we had the Goodyear blimp and a Fuji blimp both parked in one corner of the hanger. Could have easily fit a fleet of those things in there.
What an incredible, fantastic documentary! Wish there was more blimp and Goodyear Blimp history, though. I wonder who got those low-time, almost-new Continental IO-360s? Man, to be flying a plane with the classic blimp's engines! I'd paint it with a Goodyear blimp theme. 41:50 - He shouldn't mix fuel samples. Every sample from each sump should be in an empty, clean cup. At least that's what I was taught in pilot training and A&P school. 52:44 - Think it would have reached the sand-trap? So honored to have ridden in the Goodyear blimp in the 70s in San Antonio!
I live close to what used to be the Akron Airdock and the Wingfoot Lake. After seeing the various blimps almost daily, you tend to forget how special they really are.
I Agee with Tyson. This documentary was fantastic and yet sad when they deflated her, I was actually afraid in tears. Back around 2007 while I was senior flight lineman at the FBO at SFM in Maine we had an airship from Electric Light Ship stationed there for 3 weeks. Every morning that I worked I would get their fuel order ready. On one of those mornings the chief pilot who o b came friends with him whilst he was there asked if I had the next day off and I said yes. He invited me to fly right seat for most of the day. I was also a student pilot and he was a CFI and he said bring your logbook with you. Now you have four hrs time for a airship in my book. I still have fond memories of the MAYFLOWER coming to my area in Pennsylvania since I was five years old and through my teens. And I miss those glorious Goodyear Blimps and I am looking forward to seeing the new Zeppelins and maybe ride on one sometime soon. At 62 years old now it’s on my bucket list. God Bless everyone.
Goofing off and pretending you are getting shocked is not funny; he does a good acting job, too good. He could condition other employees to delay shutting power down in a real instance of electric shock.
Really cool doc! Was fortunate enough to be allowed to board the Met-Life "Snoopy" blimp that was temporarily moored at Lansing Municipal Airport, in Lansing Illinois back in 98' (i think?). Didn't get to fly in it, just boarded the gondola and check out the whole ship by the night watchmen. It was in town slated for some event downtown - though i can't recall what game - Cubs, Sox, Bears? Nice people! Amazing airship! Neat experience! Lot of great experiences working there for Associated Air Activities as a lineman as a young man!
I can’t believe I cried over the demise of an airship. But I did. I live in Lawton Oklahoma where we got to see them from time to time. For us, the new has never worn off and the excitement has never diminished over all the years. Thank you for this splendid story.
When I was in the Marines, I was stationed in Tustin (with now disbanded Helicopter Training Squadron HMT-301) and worked in the hanger that the Goodyear Blimp was shown in the video being disassembled. In 1991 I got to witness the Goodyear Blimp go from it's old Silver Black color - to the Silver Blue Gold colors right in front of my office. Took about 30 days. So it was sad to see it taken apart for good where I watched it's current version born.
I was born and lived across the street from the original Big Black Blimp Hangar. We saw the ships go over our house all the time. Scared my Grandfather cause he thought it would hit the house! LOL My Dad taught flying at Shorty Fultons Airport across the street from us, after WW ll. Lot's of great memories! Hate to hear that things are changing!
Yes the good your blimp. I grew up with that little Blimpie from the 1990s. I lived in Carson watched it every day of my life. I think I was about 9 years old. Never got on it. But I always love to watch it go up. I do miss the real 1 the 1st one. It's mortars coming by the sound. It's not the same now. I live in torrents now and I see it once in a Blue Moon when they came out from production. But now it's gone again haven't seen it ever percent. It's been about 6 months since last year. That's the last time I saw it parked haven't seen it ever since. Who knows it's probably back to square one? Bye bye Blimpie.
I had a beautiful red helium balloon that popped once. My parents had an inquest. It WAS sabotage. My brother had thrown a pin. 😱 Ohhh the humanity !!!!!
A took a ride in a Goodyear blimp in 1989 i believe. Both Pennzoil (guest for the indy 500) and the Blimp crew sere,staying at the holiday inn, Indy airport. Very cool experience. The pilots and crew were very nice people
We used to chase it on our bikes at nite to see every light design that would be displayed on it as it flew over San Leandro 😂. Great story,great memories 👍
Isn't is ironic that the crew members who work the hardest and for the least amount of compensation are always the ones who are killed off first whenever possible? That is the way of the world I guess. Those at the top of the pyramid are the least willing to sacrifice.
Wonderful story, and very emotional for me. For 17 years, I was one of the blimp operators for indoor R/C electric blimps flown at many Detroit sporting events, including Pistons basketball and Lions football. We flew for a total of 6 teams in 4 sports at the Palace of Auburn Hills (now demolished) and the Pontiac Silverdome (first to be imploded, after a long abandonment), and had 6 airships over the years, ranging from 13 feet to 28 feet in length. There are so many similarities between these prize-dropping models and the real thing. But I have to say, vive la differance: Ours probably operated a bit more like the new NT. There were no control surfaces requiring speed, the rudder had a reversible motor and blade (two, two-blade props mounted in opposing directions for symmetrical thrust). Our gondola fans could rotate about the lateral axis, so we had thrust up, down, fore and aft. Being light was very bad, as down thrust was very weak as the exiting air from the fans is deflected sideways by the bag above - lifting was efficient. The rear rotor meant we could turn at any speed, even spin in place, and fly backward. That said, I think sometimes we made landing it look harder than the full-scale, as we battled the constantly changing currents in the stadiums from the ventilation systems, especially in the Silverdome, which was suspended by air pressure. 1:20:15
Loved the info, thanks! I always thought vectored thrust would make it easier, but when you say the air currents would mess you around, I can see that. Loved the story too! Would have done the same myself. 🤣 You write pretty well.
All the big mocho men where awsome letting kids all come out and check it out and I love how they where not a hinder buy made welcome that is so cool kids remember that for ever
I flew in this when i was 5 and it was very fun and i got to sit in the copilot seat and it was awesome. Now we have a new blimp but to me its just a balloon. The GZ 20 is way better. Now its gone..... Im literally sad. I know its 2022 but still i just now found out. Im sorry but i have more feelings for this then technoblade. GZ20 NEVERDIES...... So long.....
When I was 6 years old I got to fly on the America N10A, based near my home in Houston.. i sat by the pilot.. my dad was behind me.. awesome experience.. funny story about how I got the ride... we lived in the path the blimp took on it's nightly advertising flights when it wasn't on tour covering sporting events... i loved going outside and waiting to see it fly over.. so every day i would call the Blimp Base and ask what time it would be flying.. after a while they got to know me and one day I happen to get their PR guy when i called.. he said to put my dad on the phone and he would arrange a ride for us... so i lay the phone down and go tell my dad, who was reading the paper in his easy chair, the guy at the blimp base wants to talk to him and give us a ride.. he said "sure he is, go play, i'm busy".. blowing me off.. i said no, he really is.. so after about 4 times telling my dad it was for real.. he got on the phone and made arrangements.. took a couple weeks to make it happen due to winds.. but in May 1975 we got to go on that ride.. talk about a fun time... my dad, who was also a private pilot, enjoyed it as much as I did.. after that, my dad who knew the owner well at Clayton Tire company, the Goodyear dealer where he bought his tires... told him about our ride and how much we liked it.. he said he would get us another ride someday.. the second ride never happened, but i cherish my memory of the time I rode in the Goodyear Blimp..
I hear ya brother, I use to look forward of seeing the blimp base while heading out of tow north on i45. If I was lucky we wold actually see her out side.
Yea, that blimp base is now a Lowes and a Home Depot.
What a nice wholesome story. It brought a smile to my face.
Does you channel post any positive interactions you have with government officials? I appreciate you're trying to get clicks for negative interaction, but I'm curious what the ratio of negative vs. positive interaction is. I don't have a Facebook so I couldn't check if you address that.
Thanks
@@Shreaderbrahhh hello, i'm glad you liked my story... i haven't posted anything recently on my channel... i started it intending to go ouy and make videos regularly... then had surgery and haven't got back out... its not big enough to be monetized, so i receive no money from youtube... i certainly will post positive as well as negative encounters.. the 1st amendment auditor community has splintered into several camps over the last couple years... i don't necessarily agree with many of them... i think they do more harm than good... myself, im looking for positive change, not clicks... government needs to appreciate and care more about how the general public is treated.. and the law applied evenly to all... i miss opportunities all the time to get good footage,it just hasn't been my priority... thanks for commenting...
It is worth sharing!
I’ve always wanted to have a ride in the blimp. I always really really miss these old style blimps
Like if they could just bring 1 or 2 back I’d probably cry of happiness
That's what I want to fly. I've never heard of any fatal accidents from helium-filled blimps, in peacetime at least.
I cant believe this is true. When i lived in california the blimp would land close to my house in carson
Leith a name like spirit of America why destroy her leave it as a monument. This makes me sad I've always wanted to live in America and this is a sad moment of a American icon going
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! DON'T GET RID OF THE BLIMPS!!!
They didn't. They got new ones.
Amazing documentary! I never thought I'd tear up for a Blimp.
Just watched this about 10 mins ago. Did not realize the retirement had taken place. What timing to watch this as someone else is watching, a small moment of history in this big world. A great video this is done very well and most respectfully presented.
I teared up as well. What an amazing crew and ship. This documentary was so well done. Thank you.
This documentary was amazing. I wasn’t prepared for feeling sad for the blimp at the end.
The blimp will always keep flying in your heart
21:20.....when the crew turned into gangstas.
At least the crew will know if the blimp is leaking : they all start speaking like chipmunks. 🤣
Oh the humanity!!!!!
They won't. Because helium is lighter than air, it stays above everyone's head.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Unless someone has a lighter on a long pole they won't know
@@Unknown_Ooh What would a lighter do?
Helium is nonflammable.
You must be thinkng of the old German Zeppelins, which used hydrogen.
@@ThomasKent1346, Unkown is correct. The lighter will
go out. You even said helium is nonflammable. Won't
support combustion, either.
steve
The scene @21:00 with the whole crew walking out with "Next Episode" playing is priceless.
I moved to Houston in 1987 and lived right off I45, where the blimp base was, I remember the first time I came upon the blimp as it was landing and the traffic was at a standstill as people stopped on the freeway to watch it land, I had never seen anything like it, it was amazing.
By far one of the best documentaries I've ever seen..very very fascinating to have seen everything involved in the operation of such an American icon..so great to watch..great job on the ending...the music selection was great to it.
My dad Frank Kresse designed the cabin ventilation system for the first blimp designed by Goodyear.
yea he sure did
@@mateuszmalczewski7941
Captain: "How do I get ventilation?"
Frank Kresse: "Open the windows"
autograph NOWWWW
What an incredible ship, crew and story! I remember the first time I saw the Goodyear blimp flying low above my neighborhood south of San Francisco in the mid-80's. It was definitely an important part of aviation history.
That was really great! I got to fly on N3H, and N10H. Very well done. Brought back a lot of memories. Thank you.
Grew up in houston. one night, there was what seemed an earthquake - low rumble, everything shaking. Ran outside, looked up... and there was a low-flying goodyear blimp roaring overhead. Loved seeing the hangar, too. Sad it's gone, as are the blimps.
The blimp doesn't make things shake.
The end where they took it apart was in the hangar where I worked for 3 1/2 years in the Marines with HMT - 301. I miss it!
I did my TME OJT with 301 on the 53 side in early 76! After I was a crew chief in HMH-361
@@billauth1419 I got there in 1989 after they took the CH-53s and made them into HMT-302 and left the CH-46s as HMT-301. I was the Ops Chief and the squadron history was a fuddle. One weird thing that I encountered as Ops Chief was watching our Group CO sit down in my office and turn white as a sheet. He had just come back off a training hop and asked me to pull out his #1 log book and look up a certain date. When I checked his log the entry was in red (signifying a crash) and it showed that had just flown the same CH-46 that he crashed in Vietnam in 1969.
Vincent, what was the group CO’s name if you remember. I flew with a few Viet vets when I was there. But I only flew once as a pax on a 46.
As a kid I experienced a blimp landing in the late 70's. This was an up and close experience. No invitation. I remember it exactly as depicted in this video. The crew was friendly. We were just two kids playing in a huge unused land area on the other side of the back yard fence.
I live ten minutes away from the Wingfoot three hangar in Suffield Ohio and had no idea it wasn't the same blimp(s) we've been so accustomed to seeing all our lives. Quite a few days here in Akron, we will see two in the air. If we have Wingfoot three, then what is the other one?
EDITED: I was just at Wingfoot lake park in Suffield, and we have Wingfoot two and not three, but according to wikipedia, we're supposed to have Wingfoot Three permanently docked out there.
I was so not prepared as to how sad I would be to see her deflate. 😳😭
I live right next to the EAA airport, and have seen this blimp every summer for the last 30 years. The new one is pretty neat.
I miss the GZ 19 Mayflower and the skyships 500 and 600. I hope airships don't become extinct from the skies. I haven't seen any airships on the East coast for over 25 years now. Skies look awfully lonely and empty. Please save them. At least I have 15 or more model airships hanging from my ceiling. At least that's something.
Same
I don't know how I got here, but I enjoyed this more than most movies...
It has always been my dream to ride in the Good Year blimp. I guess that will never happen now. Very sad.
Goodyear-Zeppelin built the USS Akron and USS Macon US Navy airships in the early 1930’s. They were only 18 feet shorter than the largest airship ever built. the German Zeppelin, Hindenburg. The US Navy airships were 785 feet long, 113 feet in diameter and had an internal gas volume of 6.5 million cuft of helium.
I’m not sure why Goodyear had to turn to Zeppelin-NT for the design and manufacture of a semi-rigid airship. Goodyear and Goodyear alone has kept and improved LTA technology right up until 2015. So the question is, if Goodyear planned to cease blimp construction and wanted to fly semi-rigids instead, why didn’t they design and build it?
Because Lockheed Martin owns all the designs and technology for the blimp, and they decided they no longer wanted to manufacture or maintain the air operating certificate. That left GY with either the Lightship group or Zeppelin. Manufacturing your own airship is not cheap
avgeektv
How did Lockheed-Martin acquire the Goodyear designs?
Thank you for this info.
Never thought I'd be crying over a Blimp, but here I am 😞 really good documentary, thank you
sad how boring it was
A fantastic insight into The Goodyear Blimp that I saw in the UK Skies when I was a boy .. brought back so many memories 👍🇬🇧
I was station at MCAS Tustin when I heard the Goodyear blimp was in the hanger. I ran over to the hanger and when I I entered I was expecting this giant blimp in front of me. At first I though the guys lies till I looked way down the hanger and saw the blimp plus a few rigs parked in a corner. At first I thought that this is tiny! But then I realized how big our hanger was it was designed for a zeppelin. Cool thing after they worked on it the gave some people rides man talk about memories.
This operation is like a high-class carnival. Hard work, lots of travel, but still rewarding.
I always thought that blimps were really cool and I had always wanted to get up close to one. Years ago I was able to join the restoration team that was restoring the Goodyear K Ship K-28 gondola at NEAM. K-28 is a really interesting subject because she happened to be bought back from the Navy after WWII and pioneered the use of the lighted display board now used on all other Goodyear blimps up to now. When she was converted over to display ship standard after the war she was renamed “Puritan.”
V1!
Oh, we’re reversing. Hold on. Ok.
V1!
V2! Loft slightly!
Up up and awaaaay in my beautiful my beautiful balloooooooooooon !!!!
Theme I heard repeated relentlessly throughout the entire doc:
"This is cool, but the Zeppelin is way better in every way"
unfortunately those goodyear blimps weren't top notch when they came out. They kinda threw alot of innovations that the NT is implementing now out the window, like using the engines like thrusters for better handling.
I get to see this blimp flying often while at work in the later afternoon, i remember the first time I saw it it was coming right over our warehouse. I was pulling out of the parking lot after my shift and just seen a huge floating thing above and at first thought "holy shit a UFO!" I pulled out my phone's camera and as soon as I snapped the pic I just felt really stupid realizing it was just this blimp. Lol always neat to see it float by though.
My grandpa used to be a pilot of the good year blimp
OH THE HUMANITY
If not for Goodyear I probably would not have been born. My grandfather was an engineer at the tire plant in Akron, Ohio all his life until he retired back when there still had company pensions. My Grandmother worked there during WWII working on the blimps. My uncle worked there until he hurt his back. My Dad said he refused to work in a sweatshop. He moved to Southern California where he met my Mother. Anytime we went anywhere on the freeway I would get exited when the blimp was out where I could see it. Sad to see blimps not being made by Goodyear anymore. Almost as sad as when Goodyear was the victim of a hostel takeover by the Loral Corporation in 1987.
The end was very sad. Had me in tears. I feel for the whole crew .✌️✌️😭😭😔😔🇺🇲🇺🇲🙋🙋
The all silver livery is still the best looking airship for me. N2A Europa over here in the UK through the 70's, I used to skip school when I knew it was due to hit our skies, couldn't bare to miss out on seeing it. I want to love the new model but unfortunately, they made it so ugly....that gondola positioning is awful.
Comparing the older blimps with the new zeppelin NT made me think of taking a classic lady's bra and redesigning it to be a box shape.
That thing used to fly over our ghetto neighborhood all the time in Los Angeles County. That thing had to take some bullet holes.
Great documentary.
I lived in pompano beach and used to see this thing all the time
Reminiscent of my three years in Afghanistan (2011 - '14) operating our tethered ship we used for 24/7 surveillance, watching for bad guys doing bad things. Our PTDS ship had plenty of similarities, but was a bit smaller, and specifically purposed for wartime application with an array of various electronic equipment onboard.
I was stationed at the base where it was dismantled from 1992-1996 MCAS Tustin. I also worked in that hangar.
Gz20, The Blimp!
What music is this of the background music?
I’ve always been fascinated by the airships. I’ve tried to visit the Goodyear blimps when the came to Ft Worth Alliance and even earlier in GPT. As far as the competitors, there was a Pink Floyd blimp promoting their tour. It had engine problems and had to circle overhead while the ground crew set up. I never saw that one again.
A fantastic story, a sad but triumphal end for an American icon 😃👌👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I used to see the blimp flying when I was a kid growing up in Southern California. Every Christmas, the blimp would light up with a Christmas greeting, dancing light displays, and signify that the season had changed.
I used to hear the droning of the engines, slowly crossing the sky. Sometimes, I'd look straight up, and I could see the blimp directly overhead. The lights on both sides spelled out "Goodyear", or "Seasons Greetings".
The 405 freeway passed right next to the Carson "Goodyear Operations" field. When the blimp would take off or land, some people would stop their cars in the emergency lane of the freeway to watch the spectacle. Then, the CHP would swoop in and give them a ticket.
I knew this guy who rammed his r/c airplane into the blimp during a landing. He did it on purpose, because he was an idiot. He was caught, and was on the 6:00 news. The blimp got punctured, and was grounded for a while.
That was around 1990.
It did more than just puncture it, it tore a 3 foot hole in the side, and made the blimp make a hard emergency landing. What an idiot!
Kind of strange seeing the old Tustin hangers. I worked in there when I was in the Marines fixing helicopters. In 1984 for the LA Olympics we had the Goodyear blimp and a Fuji blimp both parked in one corner of the hanger. Could have easily fit a fleet of those things in there.
For all the Looners out there : imagine a Blow to Pop of that size !😮
What an incredible, fantastic documentary! Wish there was more blimp and Goodyear Blimp history, though. I wonder who got those low-time, almost-new Continental IO-360s? Man, to be flying a plane with the classic blimp's engines! I'd paint it with a Goodyear blimp theme. 41:50 - He shouldn't mix fuel samples. Every sample from each sump should be in an empty, clean cup. At least that's what I was taught in pilot training and A&P school. 52:44 - Think it would have reached the sand-trap? So honored to have ridden in the Goodyear blimp in the 70s in San Antonio!
38:01 - Is that wheel a tiller for the horizontal fins? It's amazing how it makes the pilot seat look like a wheelchair.
I live close to what used to be the Akron Airdock and the Wingfoot Lake. After seeing the various blimps almost daily, you tend to forget how special they really are.
I live out in the middle of nowhere Ohio, and I remember being excited to watch the blimps come past my house during the summer. Sad they are gone.
I flew on the blimp in Miami back in the 70’s. She was my first flight in any aircraft.
My sister in law was a Blimp!
I Agee with Tyson. This documentary was fantastic and yet sad when they deflated her, I was actually afraid in tears. Back around 2007 while I was senior flight lineman at the FBO at SFM in Maine we had an airship from Electric Light Ship stationed there for 3 weeks.
Every morning that I worked I would get their fuel order ready. On one of those mornings the chief pilot who o b came friends with him whilst he was there asked if I had the next day off and I said yes. He invited me to fly right seat for most of the day. I was also a student pilot and he was a CFI and he said bring your logbook with you. Now you have four hrs time for a airship in my book.
I still have fond memories of the MAYFLOWER coming to my area in Pennsylvania since I was five years old and through my teens. And I miss those glorious Goodyear Blimps and I am looking forward to seeing the new Zeppelins and maybe ride on one sometime soon. At 62 years old now it’s on my bucket list. God Bless everyone.
You were not the only one in tears, believe me! :)
Goofing off and pretending you are getting shocked is not funny; he does a good acting job, too good. He could condition other employees to delay shutting power down in a real instance of electric shock.
So, do they actually vent the helium to the atmosphere when deflating it? I thought helium was expensive abd would be re-used?
Really cool doc! Was fortunate enough to be allowed to board the Met-Life "Snoopy" blimp that was temporarily moored at Lansing Municipal Airport, in Lansing Illinois back in 98' (i think?).
Didn't get to fly in it, just boarded the gondola and check out the whole ship by the night watchmen. It was in town slated for some event downtown - though i can't recall what game - Cubs, Sox, Bears?
Nice people! Amazing airship! Neat experience! Lot of great experiences working there for Associated Air Activities as a lineman as a young man!
I really wanna know what happens if you don't "check the chain" 😂
It’s a secret
I can’t believe I cried over the demise of an airship. But I did. I live in Lawton Oklahoma where we got to see them from time to time. For us, the new has never worn off and the excitement has never diminished over all the years. Thank you for this splendid story.
When I was in the Marines, I was stationed in Tustin (with now disbanded Helicopter Training Squadron HMT-301) and worked in the hanger that the Goodyear Blimp was shown in the video being disassembled. In 1991 I got to witness the Goodyear Blimp go from it's old Silver Black color - to the Silver Blue Gold colors right in front of my office. Took about 30 days. So it was sad to see it taken apart for good where I watched it's current version born.
I did my TME32 OJT with 301 on the 53 side. Ended with 361 in the other hangar
I understand wanting to progress and move on with modern technology. But I really feel they should’ve kept one GZ20 airship for historical purposes
I PUT MY NAME ON THE LIST TO BE ONE OF THE COOSEN FEW TO GO UP!! I LOVE NASA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VICTORIA LUCILLE.....
The new mast truck setup is way quicker
Jay Dewan w/ airship opps says that the blimp can travel faster than the ground crew.
My office was right there looking right out on the hangar deck every day.
Damn no wonder their tires are so expensive!
So did they have to downsize the crew when they went to the new air ships?
No
@@avgeektv1128 👍👍
I was born and lived across the street from the original Big Black Blimp Hangar. We saw the ships go over our house all the time. Scared my Grandfather cause he thought it would hit the house! LOL My Dad taught flying at Shorty Fultons Airport across the street from us, after WW ll. Lot's of great memories! Hate to hear that things are changing!
In akron! Derby downs and the rubber bowl
18:58 sounds like a lot of these people will have lost there jobs because of the new fandangle blimp
Hope those guys don't lose their jobs.
Technology is inevitable.
Yes the good your blimp. I grew up with that little Blimpie from the 1990s. I lived in Carson watched it every day of my life. I think I was about 9 years old. Never got on it. But I always love to watch it go up. I do miss the real 1 the 1st one. It's mortars coming by the sound. It's not the same now. I live in torrents now and I see it once in a Blue Moon when they came out from production. But now it's gone again haven't seen it ever percent. It's been about 6 months since last year. That's the last time I saw it parked haven't seen it ever since. Who knows it's probably back to square one? Bye bye Blimpie.
Great video!
I had a beautiful red helium balloon that popped once.
My parents had an inquest.
It WAS sabotage. My brother had thrown a pin.
😱 Ohhh the humanity !!!!!
I really enjoyed this. What a great job this must be, belonging to the blimp crew.
A took a ride in a Goodyear blimp in 1989 i believe. Both Pennzoil (guest for the indy 500) and the Blimp crew sere,staying at the holiday inn, Indy airport. Very cool experience. The pilots and crew were very nice people
네 행복 그자체입니다
We used to chase it on our bikes at nite to see every light design that would be displayed on it as it flew over San Leandro 😂. Great story,great memories 👍
Isn't is ironic that the crew members who work the hardest and for the least amount of compensation are always the ones who are killed off first whenever possible? That is the way of the world I guess. Those at the top of the pyramid are the least willing to sacrifice.
There was in Texas yesterday but it said dick's sporting goods here in Houston Texas flying over
Wonderful story, and very emotional for me. For 17 years, I was one of the blimp operators for indoor R/C electric blimps flown at many Detroit sporting events, including Pistons basketball and Lions football. We flew for a total of 6 teams in 4 sports at the Palace of Auburn Hills (now demolished) and the Pontiac Silverdome (first to be imploded, after a long abandonment), and had 6 airships over the years, ranging from 13 feet to 28 feet in length. There are so many similarities between these prize-dropping models and the real thing. But I have to say, vive la differance: Ours probably operated a bit more like the new NT. There were no control surfaces requiring speed, the rudder had a reversible motor and blade (two, two-blade props mounted in opposing directions for symmetrical thrust). Our gondola fans could rotate about the lateral axis, so we had thrust up, down, fore and aft. Being light was very bad, as down thrust was very weak as the exiting air from the fans is deflected sideways by the bag above - lifting was efficient. The rear rotor meant we could turn at any speed, even spin in place, and fly backward. That said, I think sometimes we made landing it look harder than the full-scale, as we battled the constantly changing currents in the stadiums from the ventilation systems, especially in the Silverdome, which was suspended by air pressure.
1:20:15
Loved the info, thanks! I always thought vectored thrust would make it easier, but when you say the air currents would mess you around, I can see that. Loved the story too! Would have done the same myself. 🤣 You write pretty well.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooopooooooooooo
Such as shame GZ-20s were destroyed instead of being kept around for private flights.
These ppl thought they were really about to be apart of historical significance💀💀💀💀
All the big mocho men where awsome letting kids all come out and check it out and I love how they where not a hinder buy made welcome that is so cool kids remember that for ever
1:17:50 start of deflation.
They really should recover the helium...
Such a waste, I guess it's cheaper to release it instead of collecting and purifying and ect.
WHAT A GREAT VIDEO GOODYEAR AND ZEPPELIN HAVE HAD A HISTORY TOGETHER THAT GOES BACK TO 1917 AND THE BIG NAVY BLIMPS
Did they just release the helium or they pumped it into a container? If they just release into the air, what a waste of helium!
Did any of the guys dismanteling the blimb take the helium in their lungs and sounded like a Donald Duck?
Too many babbling selfies about themselves and not enough blimp.
в конце уничтожили хороший дирижабль ! варварским способом!
I know the NT is better in every technical way, but...😢
Thanx for the video! Wonderful story.
FUJIfilm blimp that's the one you forgot.
I saw the Spirit of America's control car at the Smithsonian.
I flew in this when i was 5 and it was very fun and i got to sit in the copilot seat and it was awesome. Now we have a new blimp but to me its just a balloon. The GZ 20 is way better. Now its gone..... Im literally sad. I know its 2022 but still i just now found out. Im sorry but i have more feelings for this then technoblade. GZ20 NEVERDIES...... So long.....
Everytime i see N10A i get sad and not see it the same way again
Why couldn't the controls be like an aircraft like a plane
Unexpected surprise. Thank you.
Glad their air program us better than their passenger tire division.